Aaron, Elder overcame hate to achieve records, milestones
Henry Aaron made history with one swing of his bat. A year later and on the other side of Georgia, Lee Elder made history with one swing of his driver.
They both overcame racist threats to reach milestones that will always be part of sports lore. “Hammerin’ Hank” supplanted Babe Ruth at the top of baseball’s all-time home run list and Elder became the first Black golfer to play in the Masters.
Their deaths in 2021 were mourned beyond the sports world and were reminders of the hate, hardships and obstacles they endured with dignity on their way to breaking records and barriers.
The sports world also lost four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser, highflying NBA superstar Elgin Baylor, fiery former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, folksy college football coach Bobby Bowden and controversial Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.
Aaron will always be remembered for hitting his 715th home run on April 8, 1974, at Atlanta Stadium to break Ruth’s record of 714. Aaron finished his Hall of Fame career with 755 homers, a record that was eclipsed by Barry Bonds in 2007. Some baseball fans consider Aaron the true home run king because of allegations that Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs.
Aaron received extensive hate mail as he closed in on Ruth’s cherished record, much of it because he was Black. Although he handled the threats with stoic dignity, Aaron kept the hateful letters and never forgot the abuse he faced.
“If I was white, all America
would be proud of me,” Aaron said almost a year before he passed Ruth. “But I am Black.”
Aaron died in January and the Braves honored him all season, including painting his No. 44 on the center field grass at Truist Stadium for the World Series, which they won in six games over the Houston Astros.
One year after Aaron’s historic swing in Atlanta, Elder took a historic swing with his driver at Augusta National when he became the first Black golfer to play in the Masters, helping to open doors for Tiger Woods and others.
The Masters had been an all-white tournament until Elder received an invitation in 1975 after winning the Monsanto Open the previous year. He missed the cut at his first Masters but became a groundbreaking figure in a sport that had never been known for racial tolerance. Twenty-two years later, Woods became the first Black golfer to don a green jacket.
Elder developed his game during segregated times while caddying and hustling for rounds in his native
Texas. He reportedly received death threats at the 1975 Masters that shook him so badly he rented two houses in Augusta so no one would be quite sure where he was staying for the week.
At this year’s Masters, Elder was invited to hit a ceremonial opening tee shot alongside greats Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Elder was not well enough to take a swing but he stood briefly and held up his driver while acknowledging the cheers of the gallery.
The football world recalled how Sam “Bam” Cunningham, an All-American fullback at Southern California, helped open doors for Black athletes in the South. A member of USC’s all-Black backfield, Cunningham was so dominating in his college debut in the Trojans’ rout at Alabama in 1970 that it influenced Crimson Tide coach Bear Bryant to widely recruit more Black players and accelerate the integration of the sport in the South. Cunningham went on to a successful NFL career with the New England Patriots.
Al Unser was the third member of one of America’s
most-accomplished racing families to die in 2021, following his older brother Bobby, a three-time Indy champion, and Bobby Unser Jr. Known as “Big Al” after his son also became a racing star, Unser was one of four drivers who won the Indy 500 a record four times, with victories in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. Unser was the only driver in history to have a brother and a son also win at Indy. Bobby Unser won at Indy in 1968, 1975 and 1981.
Lasorda was the fiery Hall of Fame manager who spent a total of 71 seasons in the Dodgers organization, in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, as a player, coach and then manager for 21 years. He led Los Angeles to World Series titles in 1981 and 1988, and was fond of saying, “I bleed Dodger blue.” At 93, he had been the oldest living Hall of Famer.
Baseball lost three notable former players, Hall of Famer Don Sutton, Ray Fosse and J.R. Richard. Sutton won 324 games with five teams. Fosse was the strong-armed catcher whose career was upended when he was bowled over by Pete Rose at the 1970 All-Star Game and later was a beloved broadcaster with the Oakland Athletics. Richard was an intimidating right-hander for the Houston Astros in the late 1970s before suffering a stroke during the 1980 season that ended his big league career.
At 100, Eddie Robinson had been the oldest living former major league player. His more than six decades in professional baseball included being general manager for Atlanta and Texas. Baltimore fans mourned the loss of Joe Altobelli, who managed the Orioles to the 1983 World Series title.